Wispy like falling autumn leaves, the songs of Hans York’s Young Amelia cascade softly to the ear and occasionally rustle in your recent memory, whispering of love and loss, joy and sorrow, of the human condition. The tracks are smooth and well mixed and the musical performances are exceptional, particularly York’s open-tuned guitar playing. At various points of the disc, production elements spring forth and demand the attention of the listener’s ear, whether it be a touch of delay or an intricate harmony.

York sings about being in love, about being sad, but those feelings don’t always transcend. Sometimes, like all too often in these kinds of moments, the words seem to get in the way. That’s not to say that Hans’s vocal tone and suppleness, reminiscent of James Taylor, fail to add splendid color to the tracks, it just wasn’t as much of a focal point for me.

The album’s approachability will keep listeners coming back to revisit the disc time and again. It’s anything but in your face, which I definitely appreciate. It’s more of the in your ear variety. You can visit Hans on Myspcace to preview some of the tracks here. Listen and enjoy.
~ Nate

This entry was posted on Tuesday, April 22nd, 2008 at 4:05 pm and is filed under Album Reviews. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.